‘The ads have made us shiver behind the camera’: Corbyn and McKellen pose for panto | Bantu season

We’re a third of the way through the wonderfully camp production of Wicked Witches, a mash-up of Wicked and The Wizard of Oz, at the Pleasance Theater in Islington, north London. Dor (formerly Dorothy) and Tin 2.0 need guidance on how to take down the evil witch and save Oz-lington from a major blizzard.

But wait! Who is this Facetimer? It’s just Jeremy Corbyn, the wise wizard of Oz Lington! The crowd of 200 cheers and applauds the Islington North MP, who looks as if he is beaming from the space allotted to him.

“It’s me, the wizard,” Corbin says. “I’ve been too busy planning a party, a new party. It’s harder than it looks.”

Shortly thereafter, we see an even more delightful appearance on screen: Sir Ian McKellen as Toto the dog, with a pair of furry ears and a fluffy coat.

The winner licks Olivier, feels his pants, and expresses his relief that he’s no longer in Cats with James Corden. “We didn’t even ask him to mention Corden,” Doerr joked, much to the audience’s delight.

The appearance of two national figures has done much to raise the profile of this local panto in recent weeks, underscoring how familiar faces can still boost this art form.

“Tickets for the adult version of the kid-friendly show at the Pleasance Hotel have gone out the door,” according to Ellie Simpson, head of theater at the venue.

“This is our first panto in 20 years,” Simpson said. “We knew it would be a big risk, with no additional funding. But we are now looking to submit additional offers.”

“Jeremy’s involvement added an air of appeal, and Sir Ian’s performance as one of the world’s smallest on-screen dogs was brilliant – the adverts had us shaking behind the camera trying not to laugh.”

Pantomimes have long been based on celebrity casting, a tradition that took hold in the mid-20th century when stars of soap operas and pop shows began treating the holiday season as a relatable sideline. A familiar name on the poster can boost theater sales in December, while audiences enjoy the chaos of seeing a star confused by the words “He’s behind you!”

“There’s a truism, especially in regional theatre, that says: no panto, no pinter,” says Nick Curtis, chief theater critic at the Standard. “Pantos basically funds the rest of the year, including the more serious business theatres.

“It’s also very important for building relationships. If you get families when they’re young, they might come back to join your youth theatre, or have a go at a Shakespeare play later in your season.”

West End venues, such as Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Palladium, represent the high end of the market, with shiny glasses and ticket prices to match. But regional theaters balance modest budgets with the need to attract audiences night after night. “Attaching a celebrity’s name can make a difference,” Curtis added.

In recent years, ticket sales for pantomimes have continued to rise, highlighting their role as the “lifeblood” of UK theatres. Hannah Essex, co-chief executive of the London Theater Society and Theater UK, told The Guardian that pantomime is “one of the strongest entry points into theatre”.

Data from 52 regional venues shows that in 2024, nearly a third of all shows and more than a quarter of attendance and ticket revenue came in December. The Christmas show was seen by around 1.1 million people in regional theatres, generating revenues of nearly £31 million.

Historically, panto music dominates the festive period: The Stage found that in 2016 it accounted for 45% of seasonal revenues (compared to 29% for musicals).

While the rate of celebrities wearing pantos can be high (last year, Alison Hammond reportedly earned around £3,000 per show over 65 performances in Birmingham), the technology has reduced financial pressures on smaller theatres. Stars can increasingly contribute through short on-screen appearances or pre-recorded voice-overs, without having to commit to weeks of late-night shows.

This year, Stephen Fry voices the Giant in Jack and the Beanstalk at Watford Palace Theatre, while Brian Cox plays the same role at Dundee Rep Theater. Last year, Judi Dench lent her voice to the Magic Mirror in Snow White at the Theater Royal, Bury St Edmunds. And it’s an obvious phenomenon that goes beyond panto: John Malkovich appears in an on-screen cameo in the London theatrical version of The Hunger Games.

Steve Marmion, chief executive of Watford Palace Theatre, points out that pantos make up about a quarter of his theater’s sales and a third of its audience.

“Funding cuts have made Panto more important than ever,” he said. “A generational tradition means it’s never crossed off the list of things to do. My mum always described it as the only time of the year she saw her mum putting on lipstick.”

According to Marmion, the celebrity involvement is a nice extra detail. “We can’t take thousands a week out of our income to pay for a big star, but technology means stars can now support multiple theaters in an afternoon with high-quality home recordings. Having Stephen Fry voicing the giant is a really good balance for us.”

At the end of the show at the Pleasance Hotel, I heard audience members summing up Corbin and McKellen’s performance.

Simpson emphasizes that the pleasure of engraving goes hand in hand with its practical effect. “Isn’t this what a local MP should be doing – engaging with the community, especially the arts, which have suffered so much after the pandemic? All in the name of fun and silliness.”